"Noah?" Her voice fades off as she says his name, her gaze fixated on the box.
"Yeah, babe?" He sounds so casual- way too casual, actually.
She glances up to find him watching her, but for once she can't decipher his expression. He's sprawled out on her countertop, reclining back on his palms. He really shouldn't be up there, her germaphobe roommate will freak if she finds out. But at the moment, she really can't bring herself to care.
"I don't understand." She admits, gesturing downwards; she's sure her confusion is blatantly apparent. He doesn't say anything, he just quirks a brow, an amused smirk playing along the edges of his mouth. She looks down again, then back at him, her lips slightly pursed.
"What is this?" She can't help it if she sounds a little weary. She's had an unbearably long day, and she doesn't really want to deal with whatever inane scheme he's working on. If he notices her tone he doesn't let on.
"Really babe, Jews are supposed to be smart. Don't tarnish our rep." He rolls his eyes as he says this, grinning despite her glare. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he crosses his arms and stares down at her.
"It's a puppy, duh." Yes, the box obviously contains a sleeping puppy, and yes, she already knew that. She knows he know that's not what she meant. She would really appreciate a little less attitude right now; it's late and she has a six o'clock appointment tomorrow. Crossing her arms, mocking him, she does her best to make sure her annoyance is transparently obvious.
"Let me try that again, why do you have a puppy?"
"I don't, you do. Happy birthday." He announces it like he's reading from the newspaper, if he ever read a newspaper.
She blinks, as she definitely wasn't expecting that. For good reason, mind you.
"It's not my birthday." If he doesn't know when her birthday is by now he's in trouble.
"Yeah, well, let's just say that the options on your birthday weren't too good."
She looks down again, watching the tiny thing as it sleeps. She doesn't want to admit it, but it is rather adorable. She has a terrible feeling that she's going to lose this one.
"What kind of dog is it, anyways?" She asks, kneeling down to get a better look at the white and black bundle. She tries, but she can't help the smile that's on her face.
"Great Dane." Well, if there's anything that can wipe the smile off her face, it's most certainly that.
"You have got to be kidding me." She groans, and then she's straightening up to glare at him again.
"What?" He's defensive; he obviously thinks his choice was a good one. Probably because he's an idiot. He knows only small dogs are allowed in her apartment.
"Why didn't you just get me a horse?" She rolls her eyes, completely sarcastic.
"One, there was no way I was getting a horse up those steps, so stop your fantasizing right there. Two, he'll still be easier to hide than a horse."
"Yeah, I'm sure no one will ever suspect that he surpasses the twenty pound limit when he's galloping down the hall."
"Well shit, did you expect me to pick out a Chihuahua? That's not exactly badass, babe."
"You really think my roommate's going to allow this?"
"Your roommate is a bitch-"
"Noah!" She's appalled, but she doesn't deny it.
"Come on, you might as well put a collar on her!"
"That's horrible…" She still doesn't deny it, she agrees with him, he notices.
"Anyways, don't you have a list of all the stuff you can blackmail her with?" She did, that was true. She didn't exactly like her roommate. Still, there's no way she'd be able to hide a dog that's bound to weigh more than her.
"Noah, there's no way he can stay here." She sighs, and it breaks her heart to see him look so defeated. But really, there's no way around the truth. She thinks she's won, but then he sits up straight, uncrossing his arms.
"You're right, he can't stay here." She eyes him nervously even as he says it; even if he knows he's lost, he's being way too agreeable right now. There's still at least twenty four minutes of fighting on the agenda. And if that wasn't enough to cause worry, his smirk is definitely screaming 'evil plot'. She understands when he finishes his statement,
"He'll stay with me."
She really should have seen this coming. She'll always be surprised she didn't
"Noah, do you even know how to take care of a puppy?" Honestly, she's pretty nervous. He couldn't keep a plant alive for more than two days, plastic plants included. She really couldn't trust him with anything more complicated than that.
"Nope. Not a problem." He's grinning, and suddenly she thinks she's losing again, even though he's being an idiot and not making any sense.
"How is that not a problem?" She's moody again, mostly because she can tell something is up. She really doesn't want to lose.
"Because it's your dog, not mine. It's your responsibility to feed it and shit." Oh, he did not just say that. He is not that stupid.
"What?"
He scoffs, speaking slowly and clearly, as if she were the idiot in the room, as he summarizes his last statement.
"It's your dog; it's your job to feed it." She cannot believe his audacity sometimes. She has to clench her hand just to avoid slapping him.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Her schedule is hectic; he lives on the opposite side of the city; there's no way she has time for a dog right now.
"I guess you'll just have to drop by more often." He shrugs, grinning down at her.
She shakes her head slowly, trying to hide her exasperation. He's just not getting it; he's making it sound too easy, he's pretty good at doing that.
"You know how busy my schedule is, Noah." She ignores the way his mouth tightens, because she doesn't want to deal with it. She knows her routine is putting a strain on their relationship, in more than one way, but she doesn't want to acknowledge that right now. "I barely manage to come to your apartment twice a week!"
"Well," he drawls, perfectly blasé even as he slips down off the counter, "at that rate the thing's going to die." His hands wrap over her hips as he says this, tugging her closer even as she tries to resist. He's clearly amused, and she's positively horrified by his response. She opens her mouth to comment on what a horrible, lousy, contemptible, appalling person/boyfriend he is, but he's talking before she can get the chance.
"So, unless you want him to starve, you'll just have to move in with me."
It takes her several seconds to register his words. She's speechless, and he's looking way too smug. She's trying to fight off the giddiness, trying to fight off the smile forming on her lips. She guesses she must be failing, because he pulls her flush against him, kissing her before she can actually think of a coherent response. Her arms wrap around his neck.
Should she be upset that he's guilted her into this? Probably. This is a rather low blow. But at the moment, she really can't bring herself to care; it's all she can do to roll her eyes and smile into the kiss.
Eh, this isn't my favorite chapter, but I think it's useful...maybe. We'll see. I'm might rewrite it.
Anyways, inspiration came from my friend, as he convinced his girlfriend to move in with him through similair methods...it does happen in real life people.
I'll get to work on the next chapter, though I also have another one-shot for LJ that I'm working on...we'll see which one I post first? I'm not going to have a lot of time between Thanksgiving break and Christmas break...hopefully I'll have time to post something through.
P.S. Am I supposed to respond to my awesome reviewers? Or do I just admire you from a non-threatening distance? Either way, I adore you all. ;_;